Designing Apparel Based on Heart Rate: Goldwin’s New Approach to Performance Wear

Trail running performance wear has traditionally been designed around external factors like altitude and temperature. Now, Goldwin is introducing a new benchmark. For its Spring/Summer 2026 season, the company is launching its Performance Line, a collection of gear based on "BPM," or beats per minute. Why focus on heart rate, and how did they translate this concept into their products? We sat down with developer Ayako Murai to find out.

While BPM is a familiar metric for runners, it's not widely understood by the general public. BPM stands for "Beat Per Minute," referring to the number of heartbeats in a minute. The higher the exercise intensity, the higher the BPM.

"When I took over development for the performance category two years ago, I started thinking about how we could create a shared understanding within the company," Murai says. "Even on the same mountain, people run or walk in many different ways. Your body's condition changes completely based on the intensity. I felt we needed to align our perspective on what level of exertion we were designing for."

Why Build Apparel Around BPM?

And so, BPM was established as the common language for the internal development team. It didn't take long for this internal metric to evolve into the public-facing concept for the entire collection.

They settled on three categories: 130 BPM, 150 BPM, and 170 BPM. 130 BPM is geared toward fast hiking, 150 BPM for trail running, and 170 BPM for high-intensity activities like competitive running or elite-level workouts.

The 170 BPM range, in particular, is positioned as the cutting-edge line driving the company's innovation.

"A heart rate of 170 BPM is about 80% to 90% of your max heart rate," Murai explains. "It's that state where you're pushing yourself so hard—like in interval training or an all-out sprint—that you're too breathless to talk."

During such intense training, you sweat heavily, and even the smallest details can make or break your comfort. That’s why they based their planning on the concept of "Do more with less."

"It means achieving the most with the least. But we don't see it as just simplifying or cutting corners; it's about rethinking the entire structure," she notes. "By creating greater value and function with fewer materials and processes, we believe apparel designed around the body's response to exercise intensity has the advantage of being truly minimalist in its construction."

A Design Philosophy Rebuilt on Intensity

The 170 BPM line features a curated selection of items. By focusing on the body's state rather than the environment, the collection gains incredible versatility, adapting to a wide range of running scenarios based on intensity.

"While it's designed with trail running in mind, the core functions and comfort you need when running at a high intensity of 170 BPM are essentially the same, whether you're on a road or a track. By using the body as our benchmark instead of the external environment, we've opened up a world of possibilities for how the gear can be used."

"For instance, if a jacket is labeled 'for 3,000-meter altitudes,' it feels irrelevant to anyone who doesn't climb that high. But with a metric like heart rate, everyone can relate it to their own level of exertion. We believe it's a standard that liberates the user, encouraging them to adapt the gear to their own needs without being limited by a specific use case."

The 170 BPM Line: Packed with Advanced Technology

The 'Pertex Shield Pro Fast Run Jacket' is the brand's lightest waterproof and breathable jacket, weighing in at just 140g (size 3). Since trail running typically involves a backpack, pockets were intentionally left out to prioritize compactness.

"We also added darts to the back so you can easily wear it over a backpack, and the back lining features a reinforced print to withstand friction from the pack," Murai adds.

Layering Design Optimized for Every Need

The 'Ker-light Crew' mid-layer is an item that has received particularly high praise.

"Body-mapping studies showed us that the back is where people sweat the most during exercise. With that in mind, we used a single layer of Polartec® Alpha® Direct 60 for the back panel. It's a lofted fabric, but its open-knit structure allows it to provide both insulation and excellent breathability."

To ensure warmth, the front torso, shoulders, and outer arms—areas prone to getting cold—feature a double-layer structure with a lightweight woven fabric. Additionally, the underarm area is crafted from a single layer of fabric to prevent any interference with arm swings.

"We strategically used two high-performance materials in three different configurations depending on the body part, aiming for a balance that lets you keep the garment on even during intense exercise."

It’s also thoughtfully designed for moments like climbing rocky terrain or chained paths; the hem won't ride up and expose your stomach when you raise your arms.

"If you're at 130 BPM with minimal sweating, you might find this garment isn't quite warm enough in some situations. But when you're running hard at 170 BPM, you can still break a sweat even when the temperature drops near 0°C. We engineered it to efficiently vent that sweat while adding warmth where it's needed most."

The sweat-wicking and quick-drying "Warf Dry T-Shirt" minimizes skin irritation by replacing traditional stitching at the collar, cuffs, and hem with bonded seams.

"On a long run, the slightest discomfort can become a major source of stress. The bonded construction was an idea from our designer, and I was blown away. It made me realize a level of stress I never knew existed—I couldn't believe how much more comfortable running felt just by changing the collar."

The "Fast Run Hybrid Wool T-Shirt" elevates the performance of the classic wool T-shirt, a long-time favorite among outdoor enthusiasts.

"Absorbency and moisture-wicking might sound similar, but they're not the same. Absorbency deals with liquid water, while moisture-wicking handles water vapor. The truth is, synthetic fibers can't replicate the natural moisture-wicking ability of natural fibers. That's one of the reasons wool is so beloved. However, wool's drawback is that it dries slowly, which can lead to discomfort when you're sweating heavily, like at 170 BPM."

That's why this T-shirt features a special yarn that encases a synthetic core in wool, achieving the perfect blend of wool's moisture-wicking capabilities and the quick-drying durability of synthetics.

"The back panel, where heat often builds up, is a mesh construction for better breathability. Despite its simple appearance, it’s an item that delivers both the soft touch of wool and all-day comfort."

The "Breathable Active Shorts" are engineered to allow for dynamic leg movement without restriction. They are made from a lightweight, breathable, and water-repellent ripstop fabric, making you almost forget you're wearing them.

"We also incorporated deep side slits and a 3D pattern to ensure the design doesn't hinder the range of motion in the groin."

These products are the result of countless field tests. Murai, an ultra-distance runner himself, is personally involved in the testing process.

"When a new sample was ready, I'd sometimes go for a 100 km weekend run to test it out (laughs). We put every single item through at least 200 km of validation. At first, BPM was just an internal benchmark, but bringing this concept into our design process sparked a flood of ideas from the development team and led to major product upgrades. We're now looking to apply the innovations we developed for the 170 BPM category to other areas as well."

This idea of designing gear starting from the body's internal state—heart rate—is a game-changer, moving beyond the traditional focus on external weather conditions. It's poised to become an essential new standard for how we choose our apparel in the future.